


i never planned on you

by lostin_space



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Future Fic, Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-02-22 21:56:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23401009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostin_space/pseuds/lostin_space
Summary: “Did you know a lady named Daniella Pérez about 10 years ago?” the little boy asked.“Uh, yeah,” Michael answered softly. The little boy smiled even wider.“I’m Isaac,” he said, “You’re my dad.”
Relationships: Michael Guerin/Alex Manes
Comments: 69
Kudos: 266





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by once upon a time

“Your turn.”

“Oh, we take turns on getting the door now?”

Alex smiled as he felt Michael’s back vibrate with a groan beneath his cheek. They were finally, _finally_ doing good. For a whole months, they hadn’t had any problems. Nothing major, at least. If they had a problem, they always fixed it with communication. No arguments needed. He was happier than he could ever remember being.

“Fine, I’ll go get it,” Alex said, pressing a kiss between his shoulder blades, “But you owe me.”

“I’ll make you coffee as soon as I manage to get up,” Michael grumbled. Alex’s smile never fell as he dragged himself out of bed, slipping on a shirt and grabbing his crutches as he hauled himself to the door.

“Coming!” Alex called towards the incessant knocking. He didn’t know who he was expecting to see when he got to it. Maybe a package he forgot he ordered or maybe Rosa had forgotten to call first.

He did not, however, expect to see a little boy with uncomfortably familiar curls and big hazel eyes standing there with a backpack so big it almost tipped him over.

“Um,” Alex said, trying to decide why a kid was at his door at 7 in the morning, “Hi?”

“Are you Michael Guerin?” the kid asked. Alex felt his stomach drop and he shook his head. The kid looked down at the piece of paper in his hands and then to the mailbox where the address was.

“He’s here though,” Alex said in a calm voice, trying not to jump to conclusions. The little boy smiled up at him and it became a little hard _not_ to jump. “Michael! Come here for a minute, will you?”

“Alex, c'mon–!”

“No, it’s important!”

Alex kept staring at the boy in the doorway, feeling too shell-shocked to invite him inside. Go figure, as soon as they start doing good, something fucking weird happens.

Michael eventually dragged himself to the door, peering over Alex’s shoulder to the little boy. He didn’t seem to notice what Alex had noticed.

“Sorry, we’re not interested in buy–”

“Did you know a lady named Daniella Pérez about 10 years ago?” the little boy asked. Michael went so still that he wasn’t even breathing. Alex gulped softly.

“Uh, yeah,” Michael answered softly. The little boy smiled even wider.

“I’m Isaac,” he said, “You’re my dad.”

Alex didn’t feel the blow as hard as it could’ve been considering he saw it coming, but Michael similar let out a confused squeak and stayed frozen in place. Isaac just stared up at him and waited for some kind of response that didn’t come. So, Alex, being the adult, had to take initiative.

“Hi, Isaac, I’m Alex,” he greeted, holding out his hand. Isaac laughed a little bit and shook it. “Why don’t you come inside? I’ll make you breakfast and we’ll talk, okay?”

“Okay,” he agreed. Alex turned to Michael and gave the frozen man a look that said ‘go take a breath and then come handle this’. He didn’t bother making sure he went to do that before leading Isaac towards the kitchen on his crutches. “You have a pretty house.”

“Thank you,” Alex said, “You can put your bag down if you want.”

Isaac did just that before climbing into a barstool. Alex took another sobering breath as he took in what the hell was happening. Michael had a 10-year-old son because of course he did.

“So, Isaac, are you allergic to anything? Do you like pancakes? Muffins? Eggs?” Alex asked.

“Eggs are fine. I’m not allergic to anything,” he stated, his feet gently kicking the cabinets that were by the barstools. Alex didn’t say anything as he got out a pan and some eggs.

“How’d you find your way here?” he asked. He figured they could tackle the bigger questions like 'where’s your mom’ or 'why are you here’ once Michael was in the room.

“Google,” Isaac answered. Alex held back a sigh. “Are you my dad’s boyfriend?”

Alex swallowed. “Yes.”

“I didn’t know he had one of those,” Isaac said.

“Well, we’re both learning today,” Alex breathed, covering it with a smile as he cracked the eggs into the pan.

“Do you only have one leg?” Isaac asked.

“Yep,” Alex answered, “I was in the Air Force.”

“Mom says that the military is predatory towards the children of low income families,” Isaac recited. Alex stared at him for a moment. Where the hell was Michael?

“Well…”

As if one cue, Michael came in with a determined stride in his step. Isaac looked to him like an eager puppy trying to hold back his excitement. Somehow, he looked exactly like Michael. Alex still didn’t know how to feel.

“You can go get your leg, Alex,” Michael said as he went to take over the eggs.

“I think I’ll stay here,” Alex said, grabbing a chair and sitting over to the side so they made a triangle. Michael took a deep breath and looked at him.

“Look, kid, I don’t wanna sound rude, but how do you know I’m your… your biological father?” Michael asked, “Daniella never mentioned anything to me about anything.”

“She said you were,” Isaac said innocently. Michael glanced over at Alex, quietly deciding they needed a DNA test despite the fact he was a spitting image.

“Where is she, then? Why are you here by yourself?” Michael quizzed. Isaac looked down for a minute and shrugged. “What does that mean?”

“She left,” he mumbled. Alex’s heart ached.

“She left? What do you mean, she left?”

“Michael,” Alex interjected. They made eye contact and that’s when it seemed to click. Michael cleared his throat and scooped eggs onto a place. He placed it in front of Isaac.

“Okay, so,” Michael sighed, leaning against the counter, “You looked me up, tracked me down. What’s the plan here? Who was taking care of you? Am I gonna get charged for kidnapping? What’s your goal?”

Alex rubbed a hand over his face. Interrogating a 10-year-old was not how he planned to spend his morning.

“I stayed with Tía Ellie, but she doesn’t want me anymore so I wanted to stay with you,” Isaac said. It was clear he was getting more and more upset at the negative reaction from him.

“Why do you think she doesn’t want you?” Michael asked, voice softer since that he could actually related. Alex waited and watched as Isaac kept his head bowed before looking over at Alex. He seemed to make a decision before waving Michael closer. Reluctantly, he did so.

Alex pretended he wasn’t watching as Isaac whispered something to Michael that changed the entire tone of the morning.

“Okay,” he said softly, “Okay, it’s okay. Do you have a number for your tía?”

“No, you can’t call her!”

“Hey, no, I’m not sending you back, I just need to call her so she knows where you are, okay?” Michael said softly. Isaac stared at him with big eyes and Michael stared right back. It was the most adult Alex had ever seen him and his stomach twisted in confused attraction. “You’re not going anywhere you don’t want to which is why I have to call her so no one takes you.”

“Okay,” Isaac said, voice only one step away from tears. He wiped his eyes with the palms of his hands before he dug in his pocket, pulling out a crumpled piece of paper. Michael took it and smiled at him.

“You go ahead and eat and me and Alex are gonna call your tía, alright?” Michael told him. Isaac nodded in agreement. Alex made eye contact with Michael over his head.

A few seconds later, they found themselves in their bedroom and Alex was putting on his prosthetic while Michael was pacing.

“We gotta call Kyle and Liz and Max and Isobel and fucking Tía Ellie and _fuck_ ,” Michael groaned, raking his hand through his hair, “I’m so sorry, Alex. I swear to God, I had no idea.”

“It’s okay,” Alex said. Which was only kind of the truth. Michael had basically promised that they would keep a little boy without consulting him, but they discuss that after things settled in better. They’d discuss a lot when things settled in better. “What’d he say to you?”

Michael turned to face him, looking truly and utterly pathetic.

“He’s telekinetic.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Show us what you can do.”

Isaac looked around the room, clearly unsure if that was a good idea. It was strange seeing that on someone else so young. He remembered being so scared of himself when he was that age. Seeing it in his… well, his _son_ , was a lot to handle.

“Okay, so, Isaac and I are gonna go outside to practice where there’s less pressure,” Michael suggested. Everyone mumbled their words of agreement before they walked out the back, ignoring the glass doors that clearly left them a big view. “Alright.”

Isaac stood there for a few minutes, looking around nervously. That was definitely different from when Michael was a kid. When he did get the chance to exercise his power, he went all out. He wasn’t shy about that. Isaac, however, was.

“What’s wrong? What’s holding you back?” Michael asked, crouching in front of him. Isaac twisted his feet into the ground. “You know I believe you, right?”

“Yeah,” Isaac said softly, “But I don’t want you to be scared of me too.”

Michael sighed and looked at him in the eyes. He hadn’t shown off his power at all just in case there really was something different going on. He wanted him to go first.

“I promise you, I won’t be scared,” Michael said. Isaac held out his hand.

“Pinky swear?”

Michael grinned and looped his pinky in with Isaac’s. “Pinky swear.”

He took a step to the side and waved his hand forward, giving him free reign to do whatever he wanted to anything in the backyard. Isaac held out his hand and focused really hard, his hand shaking a little as one of Buffy’s toys lifted a few feet off the ground. Michael smiled.

“That was awesome!” he praised, holding out his hand for a high-five. Isaac seemed delighted by that and used all of his force to reciprocate. Michael laughed.

Isaac looked up at him with nothing but excitement that made Michael feel some type of way. Instead of thinking about that, though, he held his own hand out.

“Wanna see something cool?”

-

“So he just showed up at your door?” Liz asked.

Alex sighed and brought his coffee mug to his lips, watching as Michael lifted his barbeque pit 6 feet in the air. He told himself that they were bonding and it was good, but he was scared this was going to lead to him needing to buy all new shit.

“Yeah,” Alex said, “I have no idea how he got here though. Who sells a 10-year-old a bus ticket to go from southern Texas to Roswell? Or even a cab ride?”

“Where is his mother?” Kyle asked. Alex felt that sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“He said she was gone, but when we called the woman he was staying with, she said she got deported about six months ago. The woman he calls his aunt was actually just her neighbor who took him in,” Alex answered. Liz made a slightly wounded noise and he tried his best to give a comforting smile. It was kind of hard. He was processing a lot too.

“How are we so sure he’s Michael’s?” Max butted in. They all looked at him and then looked out to where Michael and Isaac were hysterically laughing while throwing shit around the yard. “Well, we still should do a DNA test.”

“Yeah, but I don’t want to freak him out just yet but demanding blood tests immediately. Let him be excited,” Alex said, trying not to wince as Michael lifted a chair and got Isaac to push it out of the air. “Jesus.”

“What’d you say his mom’s name was?” Isobel asked, stepping closer to the window.

“Daniella Pérez.”

“I knew her,” Rosa said with a little scoff, “She was in my year, just moved here when she was, like, 17. She dated your brother, Alex.”

Alex gave a tight smile and nodded. “Great. Let’s make it weirder.”

“So, what’s the plan?” Liz asked, “Are you keeping him? What if his mother comes back? I mean, she didn’t leave him willingly.”

“I have no idea, we haven’t really had the chance to discuss it,” Alex sighed, biting the inside of his cheek for a moment as he watched Michael and Isaac sit down to catch their breath. He could see Michael’s mouth moving, probably coaching him on how to limit himself so he didn’t get sick. Alex smiled. “But I don’t know if we have much of a choice. If he’s developing powers, which he clearly is, we need to at least keep an eye on him. I’m gonna do what I can to get in touch with Daniella and see what’s going on, see when or if she’ll be able to come back. Go from there.”

“Are you really willing to take on a 10-year-old with superpowers, Alex?” Maria asked, the only one who hadn’t begun the pestering since they arrived.

He looked at her for a moment and then looked back to Michael and Isaac. They were sitting on the ground with Buffy who’d made her way out to greet them. It looked normal. It looked like something he could get used to.

“Yeah. I guess I am.”


	3. First Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael and Alex finally talk about what happens next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've been in bed since monday night and i finally got up and I'm trying to boost my brain waves by writing this, idk if it worked, but here it be

Alex laid on his side and stared at Michael who was staring off into space.

It took awhile, but they eventually figured out how to get in touch with Daniella. She had ended up in a tiny town not too far south from the border. Connection was shitty, but after about 30 minutes of "surprise you have a son" and discussing logistics, they agreed that it would be okay for Isaac to stay with him until she could come back. Apparently, if all things went exactly as planned, she would be able to come back in five years. Hopefully, by then, Isaac would be in control of his powers at least a little.

But that meant Michael now had a live-in son.

“Hey,” Alex said softly, reaching out to touch his arm. Michael jolted back into reality, looking over to Alex. “Talk to me. It’s been a long day, we haven’t really talked.”

“Okay,” Michael said, breathing out a heavy sigh before turning to face him, “So, I guess I need to enroll him in school around here and look for a two bedroom place or something.”

Alex blinked and tried not to feel burned by that statement. “Why do you need to look for a place? We have an extra bedroom.” Michael looked at him with a different shade of confusion.

“Don’t you want me to leave?” he asked, “I mean, I can’t just spring a kid on you.”

“He’s not any more of a surprise to me than he is to you,” Alex explained. Michael still shook his head.

“But he’s my responsibility, I can’t ask that of you,” Michael said. Alex scooted closer, placing his hand on his cheek.

“I love you, Michael Guerin. Your responsibility is mine too,” he promised, “Let me help you, let’s do this together.”

Michael let out a soft breath, his hand laying on top of Alex’s and moving just enough to press a kiss into his palm. He seemed a little more at ease with that reassurance and Alex moved closer despite the fact they had a little boy sleeping on the couch in the next room. They would just have to learn how to be intimate with a kid in the house.

“So, just letting you know, you are always free to opt out of this. Like, if you change your mind, just tell me,” Michael insisted after a moment of silence. Alex shook his head.

“I won’t change my mind about this, but thank you for giving me the option,” he said, closing the gap and placing a kiss on his lips.

Yes, it would be insanely weird to get used to having a little person to care for and raise, but Isaac was a good kid and Daniella had clearly raised him well so far. They just had to adjust and keep up the good work. Besides, they agreed to stay in contact with her so that she always had a say and never truly left him entirely. All of that seemed easier than losing Michael again.

“Okay, so we go tomorrow morning and figure out how to enroll him in school and then we get him a mattress,” Alex said, staying nose to nose even after the kiss ended. Michael moved his hand slightly to lace his fingers with Alex’s.

“Yeah, we do that,” Michael agreed, “Then we... God, I don’t know what to do next.”

“It’s okay,” Alex assured him, nudging their noses together, “We’ll go step by step. Maybe we can make a plan to drive to Texas next weekend and get the rest of his stuff from Ellie’s or something.”

“You’re going to be a better dad than me,” Michael groaned. Alex rolled his eyes.

“Shut up, I saw you with him today. He already looks up to you. I can say, though, no more throwing furniture around the backyard or I’m going to lose it,” Alex told him. It finally got him to smile. “It won’t be easy, but we’ll figure it out. We’ve got each other.”

“Have I told you I love you lately?” Michael asked, squeezing his hand a little bit. Alex grinned.

“Mmm, not sure, you might have to remind me.”

“I love you,” Michael said, “I love you so much it drives me insane sometimes.”

Alex hummed in response, sliding his hand down to grab his side. Michael rolled him onto his back and placed himself on top of him. Alex’s arms went around his neck, pulling him in for one kiss after the other. It felt strange to think that it had barely been 24 hours since the last time they’d been intimate like that. The entirety of their day had felt like a fucking month long with how many life-changing revelations happened. Hopefully it would slow down a bit.

“Mr. Michael? Mr. Alex?” a voice said from the door. Alex pressed against Michael's chest, putting a good space between them before the door cracked open. 

Isaac poked his head in, eyes wide and innocent. He was wearing one of Michael’s t-shirts and it engulfed him almost entirely. In his quick packing to travel all the way there, he’d forgotten anything to sleep in. Michael got off of Alex’s completely, sitting up on the edge of the mattress. Alex sat up in his place.

“What’s up?” Michael asked. Isaac let himself take a step into their bedroom, still hanging onto the door knob.

“I can’t sleep,” he said.

“Well, why not? What’s wrong?” Michael asked. Isaac looked over at Alex for a moment and then back to Michael before shrugging. Alex waited a moment, waited to see if his input was welcome. Eventually, they were both silent, so he sat up.

“Maybe it’s because it’s a different house? I know when I was in the military and I was moving all over the place, it was always hard for me to sleep the first few nights,” Alex said. Michael looked over his shoulder to him and Isaac twisted his hand on the doorknob, swaying his arm a little bit. “Sometimes you just have to wait until you get tired. I bet I have a book for you if you want?”

“Okay,” Isaac agreed. Alex moved to the edge of the bed, grabbing his crutches as he stood up. He brought himself towards the closet, opening it and reaching towards the top to grab one of the books he had stashed up there.

“You need help?” Michael wondered.

“No,” Alex laughed, grabbing a hold of his three, very worn-in Animorphs books that were held together via a rubber band, “These are what I read in my downtime my first tour. Not much down time and the guys made fun of me for reading kids books, but still. I bet you’ll like ‘em.”

Alex semi-hopped over the Isaac and handed him the books. He took them graciously, holding them to his chest.

“Thank you,” Isaac said. Alex smiled.

“No problem. And, if that doesn’t work, we can get Michael to finally put effort into mounting the TV.”

“Hey!”

“Don’t ‘hey’ me, you’re the one who wanted a TV and then never did anything with it.”

“I’m a busy man.”

“Mhm, okay, sure,” Alex agreed. Isaac gave the smallest little laugh, hugging the books to his chest. For a moment, he looked so much like the first time he saw Michael way too many years prior that it felt like whiplash. “You all good now?”

“Yeah,” he agreed, “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” Michael and Alex both said. Alex gave him a thumbs up and waited until he was out of the room before he shut the door behind him and hopped back towards the bed. He barely had time to lay down again before Michael’s head hit his chest.

“You’re so good with him,” he said. Alex rolled his eyes.

“So are you.”

“This is so weird,” he laughed. Alex shrugged and leaned down to give him a kiss. “I can’t believe we have a whole fucking kid to take care of.”

“I honestly feel like you’re still more shocked than me and it was your penis that was involved,” Alex pointed out. Michael scoffed and pushed himself to be on top of Alex completely all over again. “You’re only proving me right.”

“Let me prove you right some more.”

Alex pulled him down into a kiss. They would be okay. This would be okay.

“I’m not complaining.”


	4. Mini Road Trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They take a drive to gather Isaac's things from Texas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: mentions of deportation and past child abuse

“I spy with my little eye something... brown.”

"Um... Alex's hair?"

"No! His hair is black!"

"Definitely brown.

"Let's say both," Alex chimed in, smiling easily as he listened to Michael and Isaac play their billionth round of I Spy as they made their way to Texas to pick up Isaac's things from his Tía Ellie’s house. 

It took a bit more negotiating that expected. Turns out, she’d never directly witnessed Isaac actively using his telekinesis, but she’d been getting suspicious that there was something _off_ about him. She loved him, she’d said, but she was no longer comfortable housing him. She’d been getting in contact with a social worker and Isaac had overheard which led to him hunting down Michael in hopes he’d be a safe place to go. Alex had to take over the phone call at that point.

“Okay, okay,” Michael agreed, humming as he looked around for something brown. His hand was locked with Alex’s, resting on the center console of Alex’s truck. Alex gave his hand a soft squeeze. “ _My_ hair?”

Isaac erupted into unprecedented giggles, “Not everything is hair!”

“Well, shit, I don’t know what else comes in brown, dude, the tree trunks?” Michael asked, smile getting wider by the second.

Isaac had only been staying with them for a week so far, but he got comfortable fast. They’d set up his room and he would be starting school that following Monday, so it was clear he had no reason to _not_ get comfortable. Besides, he and Michael had little telekinesis lessons and that seemed to help a lot at making him feel safe there. Alex made sure to add a little more to that safety by working on making sure Daniella had a constant, trustworthy line of communication to talk to Isaac every day. So far it’d been a little rocky, but he was working the little bit of magic he could manage.

He was determined to be a good father figure.

“No,” Isaac said.

“Okay, I give up, what is it?” Michael said.

“ _My_ hair.”

Michael laughed and turned in his seat to face him, looking some where in between impressed and baffled.

“You totally tried to throw me off course.”

“ _Duh.”_

“You hear that, Alex? We’ve got a fuckin’ trickster in our backseat,” Michael said, huffing a laugh as he settled back into his seat, “He’s gonna outsmart us all.”

“Wouldn’t shock me,” Alex agreed, pulling his hand to his lips and pressing a kiss to his knuckles. His heart felt so full in a way he couldn’t quite articulate. Michael leaned over and kissed his cheek for extra measure.

“Me neither,” he agreed, looking back to Isaac when he pulled away, “How’d you do in school, by the way? Forgot to ask.”

“Good,” Isaac said, shrugging, “As and Bs.”

“Trying or not trying?” Michael clarified. There was a few seconds of silence and Alex could picture the distinct, guilty grin on his face that mirrored his father’s. “Well, I always say if they know you’re better than them without even trying then you’re doing something right.”

“Okay, no, that’s a horrible lesson,” Alex butted in. Michael scoffed in disagreement as Isaac just let out a soft laugh. 

Isaac hadn’t really struggled to understand the fact that two men could be together (another thing they had to thank Daniella for) but it had been an adjustment for all of them and they had a conversation about the barest definition of Michael’s sexuality to nip any complicated questions in the bud. That had been preceeded by a talk with Danielle herself who said ‘ _that would explain a lot, good for you’._

In times of banter, though, he happily sided with whoever he felt could make the situation funnier.

“Yeah, Mr. Michael, bad lesson.”

“This whole teaming up against me thing is not gonna fly. You both seem to forget I could throw everything with my brain,” Michael said, more pouty than serious and only getting more laughter from the boy in the back seat, “And stop calling me mister, it makes me feel old.”

“You _are_ old,” Alex told him. Michael stuck his tongue out at him, but didn’t argue. They hadn’t quite had the whole alien conversation yet. That felt like more a month milestone or something.

The rest of the drive to Texas went like that, conversation and jokes and listening to music. It took about three songs to realize that Daniella seemed to have only one flaw in raising Isaac and it was his lack of music taste. Alex put on Panic! to educate him.

Around the two and a half hour mark, Isaac had passed out against the window and Michael was laying over the center console to put his head on Alex’s shoulder. It was quiet and peaceful and so damn domestic that Alex could almost imagine they were taking a family trip to Disney World.

“I love you,” Michael whispered for no reason, fueling his little fantasy even more.

"I love you too.”

They arrived outside Ellie’s house around 1PM. The neighborhood wasn’t the greatest thing in the world, but it was nice enough. Lawns were manicured, kids were playing outside, people were walking their dogs. The fact that Daniella had been successful enough to have a house in a neighborhood like that and still got deported was a quick reality check Alex didn’t enjoy.

“Wake up, bud,” Michael said, reaching into the backseat to gently shake Isaac awake. It took him a minute but he rubbed his eyes and slowly came back to life.

They all climbed out of the truck and walked towards the front door. It opened before they could even knock, a small, white, blonde lady on the other side. By looks alone, it was difficult to tell how old she was--she could’ve been 23 or she could’ve been 45.

“Ellie?” Alex clarified.

“Yes, Sir,” she said, eyes landing on Isaac as he hid behind Michael, “Hey, Isaac. You scared me running off like that. I’m glad you’re okay.”

His small hands clutched Michael’s, hanging off him slightly. Michael didn’t seem to mind.

“We’re just here to grab his things or anything you managed to keep from Daniella’s house. We’ll keep it until she’s able to come back,” Alex said. Considering Michael had personal reasons for disliking this woman, it seemed best that Alex took over.

“Right. Everything I could save is in the guest room,” Ellie explained, moving out of the way to let them in, “Could I get you guys coffee? Water? Anything?”

“We’re okay, thank you,” Alex said.

She led them to the small room that Isaac had slept in when he was there, nearly every square inch of the room covered in _things._ Most of it was small trinkets and personal items and Alex considered that maybe he should’ve asked if he needed more boxes.

“I’ll go get you some newspaper to wrap some of it up,” Ellie said, quickly walking out of view.

“I... I was not expecting this,” Alex said carefully, looking around the room before looking to Isaac. He was still clinging onto Michael, looking either scared or embarrassed or both. Alex managed a warm smile. “It’s okay, I’m not mad. Just surprised, ‘s all.”

Slowly, they began making trips to the truck. Alex had a few boxes and they filled them with newspaper-wrapped trinkets and mugs, handling them all with care. Then they got to the other stuff like his clothes, some of Daniella’s clothes, multiple sheet sets, curtains, a quilt Daniella made from his baby clothes. Then they got his books, toys, etc. It was just a lot. It had the entire backseat full and the trunk not too far off. It took three hours.

“You sure you don’t want anything? I can make lunch,” Ellie suggested. Alex politely declined.

“We’ll pick up something on the way home. Thank you, though, for taking care of him for so long,” Alex said. She nodded, but grabbed his arm to keep him in place after Michael and Isaac said their goodbyes and headed to the truck. “Is something wrong?” 

“Be careful with him,” she said, voice hushed even though they weren’t in ear shot, “There’s something off about that boy. Daniella hid it well, but once you have him in your house... Things start happening.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Alex said, again trying his best to be polite. She knew enough, they didn’t need her discovering _more._

 _“_ Just be careful,” she said sincerely, “I tried bringing him to church but--”

“Thank you for watching him, but we’re good now,” Alex cut her off, not really wanting to hear more. He knew she hadn’t done what Michael’s religious foster family had, but how much longer until she had? That was just something he could keep to himself.

Alex made his way back to the truck where Michael and Isaac were already waiting for him, both silent and probably for two entirely different reasons. So, Alex suggested food.

They ate in silence as well as they started their drive back to Roswell. Isaac looked drained which was probably his main reason for silence, but Michael looked out of it. 

By the time they started driving through long stretches of empty desert, Isaac was sound asleep in the backseat. It was when the sun started going down, though, that Michael couldn’t keep it in anymore.

“You okay?” Alex asked softly, squeezing his hand as he heard his breathing slowly begin to escalate. He looked over at him and saw that his bottom lip was quivering and his eyebrows were drawn taut, everything showing that he was trying to not cry mixed with his breathing becoming more and more erratic. A quick look in the backseat proved that Isaac was still asleep.

So Alex pulled over into the desert.

He got out of the driver’s seat and went over to the passenger side, all but pulling Michael out of the truck. He broke down as Alex pressed him into the door, trying to hold his face and get him to calm down.

“Hey, what’s going on? What happened?” Alex asked softly, hands on his cheeks. He hated seeing him like this, yet loved that he was being so open with his feelings. It was a strange juxtaposition.

“After the house he grew up in was forclosed, but before they had people go in and clean it out, he’d _break in_ to get his and his mom’s things. They wouldn’t let him go in and get his shit after they took his mother, Alex. He had to _break in_ ,” Michael admitted, choking on a sob as he recounted it and meeting Alex’s forehead with his own. Alex frowned and that secondhand sadness seeped into his veins. “He shouldn’t have had to do that.”

“No, he shouldn’t have,” Alex agreed softly, weaving his fingers into his hair, “That’s fucked.”

“I feel so guilty,” Michael admitted, “I-I should’ve known about him. I should’ve been easier to reach, should’ve been the first person they called when they needed somewhere for him to stay.”

“How could you? Daniella didn’t tell you,” Alex assured him, “Which, honestly, was probably good for both of you. He didn’t need to get to know you when you were at your lowest.”

Michael sniffled, seeming torn on whether he could agree or not. Alex just continued to do his best at soothing him.

“But it doesn’t matter. We can’t change what happened. He found you, that’s all that matters.”

“God, I can’t... He was so close to ending up like me,” he said, clutching Alex’s shoulders, “I don’t want him going through that shit.”

“And he won’t, okay?” Alex promised, “He’s got us and we’re not going to let that happen.”

“Never let any of that happen,” Michael insisted, “He’s gonna have a good life.”

“Yeah, he is. He’s already got a ton of people who love him and want him,” Alex assured him, “We just need to make sure he knows that.” Michael sniffled and nodded his head. “You’re wanted too, by the way.”

Michael huffed a laugh, “It’s not about me.”

“Kinda is,” Alex said, “And that’s okay. It’s okay to be scared of what might happen to someone else and want better for them. That gives you a drive to be better for yourself.”

Michael breathed steadily a few times and Alex carefully dried his face, grounding each other easily. Alex moved just enough to kiss his forehead and Michael relaxed a little more. 

“Sorry,” he said once he calmed down. Alex shook his head.

“Don’t apologize. It’s okay to cry and be sad,” he whispered, “It’s okay to be scared.”

Michael managed a smile and he whispered, “Have I told you I love you lately?”

“Yeah,” Alex said, “But I still like hearing it.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

They met in the middle for a soft kiss that led to another that led to another before they slowly stopped. As easy as it would be to let it turn into something else, the truck was still running and they had a sleeping 10 year old in the backseat.

“You’re gonna be a great dad, Michael.”

“So are you,” he said, his hands sliding up to his neck before he pulled him into a hug, “You’re already great.”

They held each other for a moment before deciding it was okay to let go and climbing back into the truck. Michael leaned back over the center console to lay his head on Alex’s shoulder and wrapped his arms around his bicep. 

Alex _really_ started planning that trip to Disney World.

**Author's Note:**

> also on my tumblr: spaceskam


End file.
